Details pitched for stadium proposal

DANBURY - A committee studying the feasibility of a minor league baseball team in Danbury wrestled with the details Wednesday in anticipation of an Oct. 25 forum.

The City Hall meeting will give the public more information about the prospect of bringing a minor league team to Danbury. Residents will then answer a question on Election Day about whether they want a stadium.
The idea of a Danbury team arose when developers offered to build the city a stadium in return for the rights to develop the former

Union Carbide
land between exits 1 and 2 on Interstate 84. At one time, the offer from
Woodlands Group
II LLC was to build a $12 million stadium.
That deal has changed, with the developers now preparing to give the city 13.1 acres of land and $10 million over four years. The land could be transferred by late October.
If the baseball question fails to win broad support, the city will still own the 13 acres, but it won't build a stadium.
Voters will complete a survey question on building a stadium on Nov. 2. They will vote by paper ballot, and anyone who asked for an absentee ballot will be mailed a survey ballot on baseball.
"We'll be gathering the ballots during Election Day, and we're looking for a 55 to 45 consensus or up," said Mayor

Mark Boughton
, who attended the committee meeting. "Less than 55 percent in favor is not a consensus."
Boughton said some committee members will look at other stadiums that have been built and investigate the cost of building and maintaining them.
Public Works Director
Bill Buckley

agreed to call architects with the same question.
"If someone asks how much is this going to cost, we ought to have an answer," Buckley said.
Boughton said he would want to know if revenue from the stadium would cover any debt service and maintenance costs.
The debt would arise because the stadium would likely cost more than the $10 million the city will receive.
The mayor wants that debt cost to be covered by stadium revenues and not taxpayer money. "If we can do that, we'll be OK," Boughton said.